Q: Hi, My employer is asking me to pay for visa status change cost (AED 572) and entering country expenses (AED 670) from my salary. As per the offer letter, the visa cost and Emirati ID expenses will be borne by the company. Do I need to pay this amount?

Q: Good day, My situation is that I submitted my resignation last October 5 effectivity same day, in hard copy. I also emailed it to my manager and sent it on WhatsApp to my boss and manager. They saw my resignation in WhatsApp but my manager doesn't accept my hard copy because he said that he doesn’t want to have problems. So, I messaged my boss through WhatsApp and he doesn't seem to care about it. They told me that I have to pay the visa cost before they give me my passport. I talked to the Labor Department and they said I should only pay my employer 45 days of my salary, and I am willing to pay the 45-day salary for resignation but my boss is asking to for the visa cost also. He said he knows his rights and I must pay more than just the 45 days salary. Please help me, I don't know what to do. I need to get back urgently to the Philippines.

Q: Hello, I am working in a security company based in Abu Dhabi as a Security Guard since Jan 17, 2020. I have spent the last 3 months here but the company has just paid us a few expenses and the job has not started yet. I paid around 16k AED for this visa. I have a 3 years visa (with limited employment contract) and Emirates ID. I don't have any labor card. 1. Is it a free zone company? how do I know? 2. I want to resign with notice period, is there any ban on me when quitting this job, or would I change my visa to any other free zone or any state of the UAE? Your suggestion and advice will be highly appreciated and helpful to me. Thanks!

Q: Hello, I resigned from my company after 9 months. I signed a company letterhead agreement stating that I would pay for visa and other expenses if I resigned before the end of my contract. However, there is nothing in my Ministry of Labor contract that says I have to pay anything. The company has already deducted 800 AED for visa expenses from my salary and is now demanding an additional 20,000 AED. Should I pay them? Is there any legal value to a company letterhead agreement?

When an employee or employer mentions legal issues related to their labour relationship, the first question to be raised is: do you have a limited or unlimited labour contract? We try here to shed light on the relevant provisions of the limited and unlimited contracts in the UAE labour law pertaining to resignation, termination of employment, notice period and calculation of the end of service benefits.

The UAE has adopted a major reform in its legislative system that brought about 40 new laws and amendments to the company law, criminal law, personal status, among others. The amendments aim to develop the legislative structure in various sectors, the labor law being one of these, was the most recent. We try in this article to shed light on the changes introduced with the new labor law and their significance on both, the employer and employee.

The provisions of this Law, known as "UAE Labour Law", govern the relationship between employers and employees and other labour matters in the United Arab Emirates. There are special labour related regulations applicable in some of the free zones in the UAE.

The provisions of this Decree-Law, known as "New UAE Labor Law", govern labour relations in the private sector of the United Arab Emirates. The New Labor Law repeals the previous UAE Labor Law (Federal Law No. (8) of 1980).